The former Real Sociedad has long been on Arsene Wenger’s radar and has become something of a bit part player at the Bernabeu following his £25.5m move to the Spanish capital last summer.

AC Milan and Liverpool are also keen on the 24 year old and is seen by Wenger as a possible replacement for either veteran skipper Mikel Arteta or French battler Mathieu Flamini.

Ilarra may have hoped that the departure of Xabi Alonso would have aided his push for a more prominent role in Carlo Ancelotti’s first team set-up but the subsequent arrival of Toni Kroos soon put paid to that.

The box to box performer made 14 La Liga starts last term but has been restricted to just one this season and if by January that situation hasn’t improved then a move away from Real Madrid seems entirely plausible.